No public access to President Obama's speech in Illinois House chamber

Monday

Feb 8, 2016 at 11:25 AMFeb 8, 2016 at 10:19 PM

Staff report

President Barack Obama's speech in the Illinois House chamber at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday will not be open to the public, officials confirmed Monday.

The only people allowed inside the chamber will be elected officials, people with credentials and invited guests, said Steve Brown, a spokesman for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Extra security procedures will be in place in and around the Statehouse Wednesday, according to the Secretary of State's Office, which manages the Capitol grounds.

Beginning at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Capitol will be cleared of all personnel. The closure will last until about 10:15 a.m. Anyone entering the Capitol on Wednesday after the building reopens must be on a list that was previously submitted to the U.S. Secret Service.

State workers who have offices in the Capitol were instructed to check with their supervisor to make sure they can get to their offices.

The west entrance of the Capitol will be the only set of doors that will be open. Secret Service security screenings will take place at the west entrance. All of the underground tunnels connecting buildings in the Capitol complex will be closed.

The Stratton, Howlett and State Archives buildings will be open during normal business hours, but vehicular traffic will be limited around the Capitol complex.

Obama's speech, which the White House says will address "the Illinois General Assembly about what we can do, together, to build a better politics," will be broadcast live on local television and radio stations and whitehouse.gov. SJ-R.com also will provide links to live coverage and a roundup of social media posts about the presidential visit.

White House officials said Monday that after the speech, Obama "will visit with a crowd of supporters, stakeholders and volunteers gathered to watch his remarks at a local viewing location. The president will thank this group for their support, from the beginning of his political career to today." The White House identified the invitation-only location as the Hoogland Center for the Arts.

After leaving Springfield Wednesday afternoon, Obama is scheduled to fly to the San Jose, California, area, where he'll spend the night, White House officials said last week. On Thursday, the president will attend fundraising events hosted by the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Later on Thursday, he will go to the Los Angeles area, where he will tape an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."